They call him the Paralympic Pele and watching his goal scoring exploits it’s easy to see why.

Not for Jefinho, though, it’s not. He has been completely blind since the age of seven - three years before he learned to play football.

Jeferson da Conceição Gonçalves, to give him his full name, scored two breathtaking goals against China to take Brazil into Saturday’s 5-a-side final.

"He seems like he could actually see the ball and where the players are," Brazilian fan Fabiana da Silva dos Santos said of the 26-year-old.

"He passes the ball just as if he was seeing everything."

Brazil's Jeferson da Conceicao Goncalves (Image: AP)

Brazil's Jeferson da Conceicao Goncalves (Image: AP)

In a sport in which each team competes with four blindfolded players and one goalie who is not visually impaired, Brazil have won the previous two Paralympic titles. Iran stand between them and their hat-trick.

“His basic skills are absolutely incredible,” testified former England captain Keryn Seal. “He can dribble at extreme speed and balance and because of that is free to concentrate on exactly where the defenders are.

“It takes a lot of time to develop that awareness. He is able to seem like he has that sixth sense because he doesn't have to concentrate on his skills. They're just there.”